Never underestimate catering for the lowest common denominator is something of a truism. It certainly was something that executive producer Richard Dominick had built a career on. A showman who peddled nonsense tabloid headlines that put the Sunday Sport to shame and it was him who was hired to boost Jerry Springer’s wholly unexceptional chat show that centred on family reunions that were of no interest even to the families they were reuniting and it’s little wonder that, with its ratings in freefall and at the bottom of the viewing figures table, it was pushed to 2am transmissions. The show desperately needed a radical overhaul to save itself from cancellation and ‘Jerry Springer Fights Camera Action’ explores just how that show shot back up the charts beating even Oprah.
It was Dominick who persuaded Springer that, as it was on at two in the morning, they should have a little fun. That little fun would involve the increasingly lurid stories that were often love triangles but soon degenerated far into the outer reaches of decency. Nothing was out of bounds and a show titled, ‘I married a horse’ (a title surely destined for a biopic about Prince Harry) had pushed the show to such extremes that it was never transmitted. The series had degenerated into mass brawls taking in unsavoury sex stories along the way, one of which involved a shocking and understandably traumatizing story of incest that saw that shows producer Toby Yushimura, already driven to alcoholism and drugs immediately resign after discovering what was going on in the hotel room of the show’s guest.
Jerry Springer Fights Camera Action is a two part documentary that gives a behind the scenes insight from a regretful Yushnira and an unrepentant Dominik both giving contradictory accounts of the effects of the show. At times it’s an often damning indictment of the show which seemed bullet proof even when an episode about mistresses saw an ex-husband and his new partner murder his former wife. Few come out unscathed – the audience whipped up into a frenzy, the guest fuelled by fury stoked by the shows producers and Jerry Springer in the middle of it all watching on either aghast or bemused but coining in multi million dollar contracts as the show leaped up the ratings. In its 1990’s heyday it was like nothing ever seen on TV but its influence continues to this day with such shows as the tawdry tat fest that is many modern day reality shows such as The Kardashians a show untainted by taste or decency.
Jerry Springer himself comes out of this as something of a puppet for Dominik, watching as the on stage mayhem unfolded and yet this ex-mayor of Cincinnati found himself ultimately contaminated by the sea of sewage he worked in after he himself was caught in a threesome with porn star guests on his show – although this documentary very quickly glosses over it. That the show staggered on until 2018 is remarkable in itself despite having its wings clipped as to what topics they could now include. What the documentary does not explore more fully is ultimately its corruption of TV, family values and even politics that carries onto this day. There are of course numerous clips from the shows and there’s an irony in that what is being condemned will also draw in viewers. But it’s a reminder of arguably where the decline in so much of TV output began and much like the series itself you just can’t take your eyes off this.
related feature: we take a look at found footage film, ‘Late Night with the Devil’
related feature: Sally James reveals what went on behind the scenes of, ‘Tiswas Reunited’
Here’s the Jerry Springer Fights Camera Action trailer…….
